The lead character now is Ash (Falk Hentschel), a street dancer who challenges the reigning group called the Invincible, led by the over confident Vince (Anwar Burton), in a dance duel. But he embarrasses himself when slips and falls flat on his face during an acrobatic number, totally humiliated in front of the crowd. Another dancer offers to be his manager, Eddie (George Sampson), to give him the chance to redeem himself. He agrees and together, they travel all over Europe to recruit the best street dancers to be part of their dance crew. The cast features real-life European street dancers and this works well to the film’s advantage.
The climax of the film is a dance competition in Paris where they have a showdown with the Invincibles. But first, Ash has to meet his leading lady in a local salsa club, Eva, a sexy and passionate Latina dancer played by Sofia Boutella, a dancer who’s been a part of Madonna’s concerts. Ash asks her to join their group for a fusion of street dance and the Latin salsa to give their act an edge over their rivals. Soon, romance also blooms between Ash and Eva.
Director Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini (who also helmed the original) assembles a crop of new and very talented dancers. They also know how to maximize the 3D effects during the dance sequences. All the dancers are very talented, but it’s Sofia who gives the movie its electric energy. Falk as Ash is a hunk who gets to show off his ripped body in several sequences. He reminds us of Paul Walker and our own Carlos Morales, but he looks rather bland on screen.
A big come on for the movie is its soundtrack that features some toe-tapping dance songs, from the classic “We Will Rock You” by Queen to current hits like “Super Bass” by Nikki Minaj and “The Motto” by Drake. There’s also Latin music like “Cuba 2012” and “Agua”.
